First Mitsubishi Regional Jet is rolled out.

On October 18th, Mitsubishi Aircraft officially rolled out the prototype Mitsubishi Regional Jet MRJ in a ceremony held at their factory at Nagoya/Komaki (NKM/RJNA). Registered JA21MJ, it is the first of five test aircraft. This is the first Japanese commercial aircraft since the NAMC YS-11, which was introduced almost half a century ago. Maiden flight is planned for second quarter 2015, starting a three-year-long flight testing and certification process, with certification expected by early 2017 for delivery to launch customer All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) in second quarter 2017.

Mitsubishi Regional Jet prototype MRJ90 JA21MJ at the roll-out ceremony. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

First flight was originally planned for 2011 with deliveries starting in 2013, however, a redesign of the fuselage and wing, as well as Mitsubishi's inexperience in airworthiness certification procedures forced them to delay the project by at least 3.5 years. "The dream of a Made-in-Japan product boasting top-class efficiency and comfort is now becoming reality. We feel very proud to be able to offer the MRJ to the world with confidence," said Hideaki Omiya, Chairman of Mitsubishi. Meanwhile, Shinichiro Ito, President and CEO of ANA Holdings, parent of launch customer ANA, went on to congratulate "Seeing the MRJ, I am deeply moved. We are eager to take the first aircraft, and it is an honor to become the first operator."

Along with Mr. Omiya, Teruaki Kawai, President and COO of Mitsubishi also presented the brand-new airplane to over 500 guests, including Mr. Ito, as well as Yoshiharu Ueki, President of Japan Airlines (JL/JAL). Invited to the ceremony were also government officials including Akihiro Nishimura, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT), Hideki Niwa, Vice Minister of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), and Atsuo Kuroda, Director-General of Manufacturing Industries Bureau at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI).

Powered by Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1200G series geared turbofan engines, the MRJ family consists of the 78-seat MRJ70, which can fly 3,380 kilometers (2,100 miles), and the 92-seat MRJ90, with a 3,310-kilometer (2,050 miles) range. Mitsubishi plans to carry out flight testing utilizing two MRJ90s in Japan and three in the U.S.A. The latter will start taking place in the second half of next year at Grant County (MWH/KMWH) in Moses Lake, Washington. Two static airframes, one of which is already undergoing testing, will be used to measure strength and verify fatigue characteristics. Meanwhile, the MRJ70 will not enter flight testing until the MRJ90 achieves airworthiness certification. Total development cost currently stands at 180 billion JPY.

The MRJ has so far garnered 375 commitments; ANA has 15 firm and 10 options, Trans States Airlines (AX/LOF) has 50 firm and 50 options, SkyWest has 100 firm and 100 options for operations with subsidiaries ExpressJet Airlines (EV/ASQ) and SkyWest Airlines (OO/SKW), Air Mandalay (6T/LMT) has six firm and four options, and yet-to-be-started Eastern Air Lines (Mk II) has 20 firm and 20 options. JAL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 32 in August (JAL orders 32 Mitsubishi MRJs and 27 Embraer E-Jets.) and that order is expected to be confirmed soon, bringing the total to 407.

Reference: Aviation Week, October 13th. (in English)
Reference: Mitsubishi Aircraft, October 18th. (in Japanese)
Reference: Aviation Wire, October 18th. (in Japanese)

*Edited/updated on October 19th, 2014.

Mitsubishi mulls launching feeder airline.

On September 4th, Mitsubishi and group company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, along with Japan Tourism Marketing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan's largest travel agency JTB, University of Tokyo, Development Bank of Japan, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT), and others held the first meeting of a committee aiming at launching a new commuter airline that would fly regional jets to serve rural routes. Officials from All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) and Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) were invited as well.

Prototype Mitsubishi MRJ90 JA21MJ inside their factory at Nagoya's Komaki. Official roll-out is planned for October 18th with first flight to take place in spring 2015. (Photo: Mitsubishi)

The Committee for Next Generation Community Airline Network calls for the new carrier to fly the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) family to connect existing major hubs, rural cities, and regional international destinations in China and South Korea on behalf of major carriers ANA, JAL, and overseas airlines. Members believe that operating the fuel-efficient MRJ on a platform to commonly feed all the major carriers would enable them to cut costs and offer lower fares that would lead to "revitalizing underutilized rural airports," according to Yuichi Hiromoto, the Mitsubishi executive heading the group.

Similar to the model common in the U.S., the new airline would be a feeder carrier for the majors and would not be selling tickets on their own. However, current laws in Japan do not allow the operating airline and the ticket-selling company to be different corporations, so the committee will ask the MLIT to ease the rules. Japan is targeting 20 million annual visitors by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics, and the new airline would offer a cost-effective alternative to Tokyo's congested Haneda (HND/RJTT) and Narita (NRT/RJAA) airports, members say. Operations are targeted as early as 2017, when the first MRJ is delivered to launch customer ANA, which has 25 on order. 

Although plagued by delays, the prototype MRJ will finally be rolled out on October 18th at Mitsubishi's plant at Nagoya/Komaki (NKM/RJNA), with first flight slated for April or May 2015. Along with ANA, JAL also recently became a customer (JAL orders 32 Mitsubishi MRJs and 27 Embraer E-Jets.), ordering 32 for deliveries starting in 2021. Powered by Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1200G series geared turbofan engines, the MRJ family consists of the 78-seat MRJ70, which can fly 3,380 kilometers (2,100 miles), and the 92-seat MRJ90, with a 3,310-kilometer (2,050 miles) range. It is Japan's first commercial airliner since the NAMC YS-11 was introduced in 1965.

Reference: Nikkei Shimbun, September 2nd. (in Japanese)
Reference: NHK, September 5th. (in Japanese)

JAL orders 32 Mitsubishi MRJs and 27 Embraer E-Jets.

On August 28th, Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) and Mitsubishi Aircraft jointly announced that they had reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the airline to acquire 32 Mitsubishi Regional Jets (MRJs) with deliveries starting in 2021. It will be operated by JAL's commuter arm J-Air (XM/JLJ). The order is valued at 150 billion JPY at list prices.

Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) in JAL's livery. (Image: Mitsubishi)

At the same time, Japan's second largest carrier also reached an agreement with Embraer for 27 E-Jets, including 15 firm and 12 options. Both the 78-seat ERJ170 (E170), which the currently operates, and the larger 104-seat ERJ190 (E190), which would be a new variant for the airline, were announced, though the breakdown was not specified. Deliveries will start in 2015. J-Air already flies 15 E170s.

Embraer E-Jets in J-Air's livery. The ERJ190 (E190) would be a first for the group. (Image: Embraer)

"I've also taken a look at MRJs factory, and with a new Japanese-built aircraft in front, I was filled with deep emotions. I'm confident that it would be the aircraft for the next generation," said Yoshiharu Ueki, President of JAL. He explained that the order for Brazilian regional jets are a stop-gap measure, probably to replace the Bombardier/Canadair CRJs, and the regional fleet would eventually be standardized on the MRJ, sometime around 2028.

Although plagued by delays, the prototype MRJ will finally be rolled out on October 18th at Mitsubishi's plant at Nagoya/Komaki (NKM/RJNA), with first flight slated for April or May 2015. First delivery to launch customer All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA), which has 25 on order, is expected in 2017. Powered by Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1200G series geared turbofan engines, the MRJ family consists of the 78-seat MRJ70, which can fly 3,380 kilometers (2,100 miles), and the 92-seat MRJ90, with a 3,310-kilometer (2,050 miles) range. It is Japan's first commercial airliner since the NAMC YS-11 was introduced in 1965.

Reference: Japan Airlines, August 28th. (in Japanese)
Reference: Japan Airlines, August 28th. (in Japanese)
Reference: Japan Airlines, August 28th. (in Japanese)